Mystery of the Kingdoms Rewritten
by ShadowX-Over.Writer
Summary: Inspired by the play during the 2nd Cardcaptor Sakura movie. For centuries, the three kingdoms have been at war with one another, leaving death and suffering in its wake. Can peace ever be achieved? Cardcaptor Sakura x anime x-overs
1. Prologue

Hello, everyone. :D Long time no heard from! Anyways, for those who have already read Mystery of the Kingdoms, I have decided to rewrite the whole thing with a slightly different plot and with more characters. For those who are new, I hope you enjoy this fic. I let MOTK sit for a while, and found out that the plot was a bit too cliché for my liking. I haven't written anything for a while and may be a bit rusty, but I hope you all enjoy this newly remade piece of fiction.

This story was inspired by the Cardcaptor Sakura play in the second movie. In this fic, there will be many familial relations between characters that are not real in canon.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters **

**Mystery of the Kingdoms: Prologue**

There are three massive kingdoms within the Kuranpu continent that represents the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Within the continent of Kuranpu, resides strange and powerful beings called Guardians. These beings hold tremendous power and can take on either a beast-like or a human-like appearance. Their power is both looked upon with awe and fear. However, many have come to accept them over the past hundred years and allowed them to fight alongside the warriors in the kingdoms.

To the north of Kuranpu is where Sun Kingdom resides. Sun Kingdom is the oldest out of the three kingdoms and the largest in size. The region is known for its vast plateaus and plains. The Kingdom is very prosperous and wealthy, able to hold its own against the odds.

Located to the east is where Moon Kingdom resides. For hundreds of years, Moon Kingdom had isolated itself from the other kingdoms, keeping many secrets hidden from the others. The region is mostly made up of hills and mountains with deep valleys in between. Though Moon Kingdom has been closed up from others for years and is the smallest in size, it is known to be quite a powerful kingdom.

Finally, off to the west is where Star Kingdom is. The region varies from area to area, though Star Kingdom is known to be very pastoral and is ridden with many waterways. Star Kingdom is the youngest kingdom and was very small when it was first formed. However, it managed to become a powerful nation in a short amount of time and expand into the south.

For centuries, the three kingdoms have been at war against each other over land and power. Bloodshed covered the lands due to the continuous battles, taking numerous of lives.

Wanting to stop the suffering the war created, Sun Kingdom had proposed a treaty to end the wars. The treaty made sure that all kingdoms would be treated equally and that it would hopefully cease the needless killing. Though Star Kingdom had agreed to do so, Moon Kingdom's pride prevented them from agreement, refusing to make peace with the other Kingdoms.

Moon Kingdom further isolated themselves, wanting nothing to do with the other two kingdoms.

Unable to come to an agreement, wars continued to break out between the three kingdoms.

To this day, Moon Kingdom still refuses the idea to a treaty, though Star and Sun Kingdoms have become neutral towards each other.

Will all the kingdoms ever be at peace?

* * *

A loud cry echoed down the halls as many servants restlessly hurried back and forth.

At the end of the hall where the crying was sounding, was a small room whose walls were decorated with many interesting patterns.

In the middle of the room was a small bed where a young woman with long silver hair laid. Within her arms, she held a small, newborn child with auburn hair and bright green eyes.

The infant was wailing loudly as the woman gently tried to soothe the little one to sleep.

A man with light brown hair and glasses quietly stepped into the room. "How are you feeling?"

The woman nodded at him with a soft smile on her face. "Fine, dear. Just a little tired is all. Come say hello to your daughter."

Walking over to her bedside, the man glanced down at his newborn daughter and smiled.

"She's beautiful," The man said warmly as the newborn slowly started to calm down, her cries replaced by small whines. "What shall we name her?"

The woman pondered this for a moment before looking down at her child.

"Sakura. I've always loved that name." the woman said as she cradled Sakura closer to her.

Her husband smiled beside her. "Sakura it is."

* * *

Sorry if this didn't come out the best, I'm a little iffy about writing topics like this. If you have any suggestions about how I can make this better, don't be afraid to tell me. If you look back at my profile, you will find out that the original Mystery of the Kingdoms Parts 1 and 2 are gone. I have deleted them so I can completely start over with them. There are some parts that will remain the same, but the majority of the story will change dramatically. I have also dropped some characters from the story and replaced them with others. Hopefully I won't disappoint and be able to write again. ^-^;


	2. Proposition

**Disclaimer: All characters (except OC's) belong to their respective owners  
**

**Chapter 1: Proposition  
**

"Miss Sakura, are you paying attention?"

The question was ignored as the said girl continued glancing out the window, lost in her thoughts.

Her bright, green eyes watched with a drowsy gleam as the cherry blossom petals gently floated to the ground outside.

Day in and day out, work had to be done, no matter how tired she was.

If it wasn't about the war that was going on, it was lessons. It was mentally and physically draining and Sakura couldn't tell whether she would deal with the stress much longer.

Today was especially tiring for her as she failed to get a good night's rest the night before and her instructor insisted on extra lessons.

She let out a sigh before a loud cracking sound snapped her out of her thoughts.

"_Miss Sakura. _Have you been listening to a word I have been saying?" Her instructor asked sternly while tapping a wooden conducting baton impatiently against his palm.

"Y-Yes, of course!" Sakura stammered while straightening her posture in her seat.

Her instructor let out an exasperated sigh, knowing she obviously wasn't.

He lightly tapped her on the head with his baton, earning him a small squeak of surprise.

"Pay close attention now, I'm about to go over a very important subject."

"Y-Yes sir." Sakura said with a tired nod.

As Sakura's instructor went on with the next lesson, a figure watched the scene from around the corner.

"Sakura looks especially tired today. I hope she'll be all right." Tomoyo said in concern.

A small bear-like creature with cute beady eyes floated over on to the girl's shoulder, getting a closer look at to what was happening.

"I know, it looks like she's going to pass out from boredom any minute now. Sheesh, Roderich really needs to learn how to lighten up, take it easy once in a while. And quit acting like there's an arrow in his butt." Kero said while shrugging.

"I heard that." Roderich said monotonously with a hint of irritation while pushing his glasses higher up onto the bridge of his nose, causing the two hiding behind the corner to flinch.

"Tomoyo? Kero?" Sakura said in surprise while turning around in her seat to see her two friends.

Roderich glanced from Sakura to the other two before letting out another sigh and glanced out the window to see the sun ready to set over the horizon. "It is getting rather late_._ I guess the lesson is done for today. But please, pay more attention from now on."

Sakura nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time, I promise."

She quickly got out of her seat and bowed politely to her instructor before hurrying over to her friends.

Roderich ran a hand through his wavy brown hair as the large curl in the front bounced back up. He knew as well as anyone that even if Sakura tried harder, it didn't necessarily mean that she would succeed, especially when it came to paying attention to her lessons.

'She's almost as bad as that noisy idiot…'

"Hoeeee…Mister Roderich is probably going to double my lessons from slacking off today." Sakura groaned while walking down one of the large halls with Tomoyo by her side.

"I'm sure you can pull through it, Sakura. After all, you are the future ruler of Star Kingdom." Tomoyo said, trying to raise Sakura's spirits.

Sakura nodded dully as Kero flew over to her. "Yeah, cheer up! Why don't we talk to that ol' brother of yours. He can probably do something about that stuck up old geezer."

Tomoyo giggled. "You make it sound as if he's an old man. He's still only in his twenties."

"Hmph! Not my fault he chooses to act like one," Kero scoffed while crossing his arms. "I don't care if he is the Royal Advisor, that doesn't give him the right to order Sakura around like that."

Sakura couldn't help but smile, though it was a tired one. "Thanks guys. But I doubt that my brother will have the time to do anything about it."

"About what?"

Sakura came to a sudden stop to see a tall dark-haired young man with equally dark brown eyes.

"T-Touya!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise as Tomoyo bowed politely.

"Yo! Just the guy we wanted to see!" Kero said floating up to Touya who wore a slightly annoyed expression at the beast's crude manor.

"Hn?"

"I-It's nothing, really! I'm just a little tired is all." Sakura said waving her hands reassuringly, though it only heightened Touya's suspicions.

Touya could always tell when Sakura was lying, though he seldom ever called her out on it and just let things progress as they did. Though Sakura didn't need to know about that.

"You see, your highness, Sakura has been working nonstop on her lessons recently. And with the war that's been going on between the two kingdoms, it's been very stressful." Tomoyo said in concern as Sakura nodded sheepishly.

Touya only lifted an eyebrow, wondering where Tomoyo was going with this. He knew very well how stressed Sakura was and he did his best to make sure she didn't have to go through all the strenuous work he had to do. However, there was only so much he could do for her.

It wasn't anyone's fault as to why Sakura was so tired, but the war that continuously takes so much of their time and effort.

"So that's why, I suggest taking Sakura to this masked ball being hosted at the Lhant mansion tomorrow night to relax and have a little fun." Tomoyo said holding up a flyer, snapping Touya out of his thoughts.

"Uh huh…Wait, what?!" Sakura cried in shock from Tomoyo's unexpected proposition.

Touya was also struck speechless before looking on with indifference. "No."

Though Sakura expected that answer, she couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed. She wasn't particularly interested in going to a masked ball, but she had to admit that it was better than staying cooped up in the palace. Tomoyo noticed this and decided to press on, for Sakura's sake.

"Your highness…" Tomoyo said with concern. "I think it best to let Sakura escape the stressful role of a princess every once in a while, don't you think? Please, we all care about the princess' well being and I don't think it's healthy for a girl her age to be locked up in the palace like this. Besides, this would be an excellent chance for her to mingle with the people of this kingdom. To be a great ruler, one must know their people."

Touya grunted in annoyance as Kero floated over to him and nudged him slightly. "Come on, we all know you're just being overprotective."

A frown appeared Toya's face as he brought his hand up to Kero and flicked him away. "Look, it's too dangerous to be out and about right now. Moon Kingdom could strike at any given moment, I don't want to risk putting you open for an attack."

"Then allow me to protect her."

Touya turned to see a young man with spiky reddish-brown hair and blue eyes, clothed in a mostly white attire. He had a determined look in his eyes as he clutched the sword at his side.

"Asbel?" Tomoyo said in surprise.

"I promise I'll watch out for her and I swear that no harm will come to her." The young man said.

"Tch!" Touya scowled as he walked over to the boy and poked him repeatedly on his forehead, causing the latter to wince each time he was struck.

"You expect me to trust my little sister's safety to _you_ after that incident seven years ago?"

"I was a stupid kid back then, I know!" Asbel said exasperatedly before hitting Touya's "hand away so that he could get his point across. "But I'm not a kid anymore and when I say I'll protect her, I will. Just give me a chance."

Touya narrowed his eyes, unable to bring himself to trust Asbel just yet before Sakura came over and gently grasped Asbel's sleeve.

"I trust you, Asbel." Sakura said as Asbel gave her a warm smile.

"Thank you." Asbel said patting her on the head.

Touya's eye twitched slightly in annoyance. Finally, he grunted in defeat, seeing as all the odds were now against him.

He turned his back to them and started down the hall without another word.

"Touya?" Sakura said in confusion.

"Don't be reckless." Touya said without stopping or turning to look back at her.

Sakura smiled fondly after him, knowing that he was just concerned for her well being. "Thank you!"

Asbel let out a heavy sigh while rubbing the back of his head anxiously. "Man, this always happens whenever I try to talk to him. Of course, I can't really blame him."

"Asbel..."

He glanced over to the side and was surprised to see Sakura and Tomoyo giving him worried looks.

"No, don't worry about it. Why don't you go up to your room and rest for a bit before dinner?" Asbel suggested as Sakura decided that it was best to leave things be for the moment.

She gave Asbel a grateful bow before Tomoyo led her back to her room.

"Well now, there will be nothing to worry about now that Asbel will be accompanying you to the ball. Though it would probably be best to get someone else to accompany you as well. It wouldn't hurt to be too careful, no?" Tomoyo said as Sakura nodded.

"I guess…But why the masked ball all of a sudden? Just a walk around town would have been fine? I mean, I don't even know how to dance and I don't know if I can handle being around so many people," Sakura said anxiously. "Maybe this really isn't a good idea."

"Don't say that, Sakura. You'll be fine. Besides, you should use this as a chance to get to know the people better so you'll know how to help them in the future." Tomoyo offered.

Knowing she could never argue with her, Sakura just sighed. Everything Tomoyo said was true. With being in the palace all of her life, she didn't know much about the people she was supposed to protect. And it wasn't as if she was being sent to the masked ball alone, Asbel would be there to help.

'I'll definitely be all right.' Sakura thought to herself with a smile.

* * *

"I have been informed by our sources that a grand masked ball will be held in Star Kingdom at the Lhant mansion tomorrow night. It would be the perfect opportunity to gather information." a man dressed in a white uniform reported while bowing on one knee.

A young boy was sitting in a chair while leaning against his hand that was propped up on the armrest. He had a disinterested look in his eyes as he glanced over to the side.

"…I see."

"Master, we'll be setting foot into enemy territory. It could get pretty risky." Said a dog-like being.

The boy let out a sigh before frowning. "What else is new?"

He slowly got up out of his chair and walked down a few steps. "Prepare some of the warriors, we're heading out."

**To be continued…**


	3. The Masked Ball

Yay! Spring break has finally come, for me! Now I can relax through the most stressful week of my life. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters **

**Chapter 2: The Masked Ball  
**

As night fell, Tomoyo and several other maids were assisting Sakura in preparation for the ball.

Sakura was relieved to finally finish her lessons for the day, which were extended because of the constant distractions from the previous day.

When Sakura told Roderich that she was attending the masked ball that night, the news nearly shocked Roderich speechless. However, he then went on scolding her for not consulting him about her decision.

Roderich didn't seem entirely keen on the whole idea, but after being assured that Asbel would be there with her, he let it go and advised her to stay away from suspicious-looking people.

Sakura couldn't help but smile. Despite Roderich's callous manner, she knew that deep down he only cared about her wellbeing, as did everyone in the palace.

He acted somewhat of a father figure to her, especially after her actual father died.

Some of the maids' giggling snapped Sakura out of her thoughts and asked what they thought was funny.

Some of the maids started teasing Sakura about whether she'd meet the boy of her dreams there, causing the young princess to turn a light shade of red.

Tomoyo just giggled at her expression before commenting on how cute she was.

Though she wasn't totally against the idea of meeting someone there, Sakura just couldn't see herself getting into a serious relationship due to her status.

Like all girls her age, Sakura had her fair share of crushes, but not much more than that and those crushes eventually died away over time.

After the preparations were done, Sakura glanced at herself in the mirror and was amazed at how she looked.

She was wearing a stunning whitish pink dress with reddish pink lining. A pink ribbon was tied in a bow in her hair and the ends flowed down to her shoulder. Around her neck was a pink choker with the Star Kingdom emblem hanging down from it.

"You look absolutely stunning, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo said clasping her hands together with a dazzled look in her eye.

Sakura nodded before turning to thank the maids for their work.

"Are you almost ready?"

Sakura turned and was surprised to see the outfit that Asbel was wearing.

He was wearing a black suit and tie with a white shirt underneath. His hair was parted in the middle with a couple strands of hair sticking up on the right. The oddest part to his attire was the black eye patch with a strange design covering his left eye. Sakura almost didn't recognize him at first.

"Asbel-san, what's with your outfit?" Tomoyo said while trying to cover her giggling.

"It's a bodyguard outfit. Besides, I think it looks good." Asbel said as Sakura silently sweatdropped.

"What was wrong with your other outfit?" Sakura said as Asbel flinched.

He rubbed his head nervously for a moment, trying to come up with an answer.

"Um…I…uh…Ah! I thought my other outfit wouldn't quite fit in at such an elegant party. Besides, the eye patch kind of acts like a mask, right?" Asbel explained as an awed expression came over Sakura's face.

"Ah, you're right, it does!" Sakura said in amazement, oblivious to Asbel's obvious lie as the maids all sweatdropped.

Asbel just merely rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish expression, feeling slightly guilty about lying to the princess.

"Another thing, I asked Marina if she'd come with us. For precautionary reasons." Asbel said.

Marina was a year older than Sakura and Tomoyo and worked as a type of servant in the palace. She had come from a family of assassins, who were killed by the knights of Star Kingdom due to their crimes. However, she was still young when this happened and was taken into the palace along with her "brother".

Initially, Marina was wary towards everyone in the palace. But Sakura was the first to extend a hand of friendship to her and eventually became one of her most dear friends.

"Shall we go?" Sakura asked as Asbel nodded and the two headed towards the front doors.

Tomoyo and the maids all wished Sakura good luck as Sakura thanked them once more for their kindness.

When they reached the main room, they found Marina and Kero waiting for them.

Marina had light blue hair that sticks upwards and green teal eyes. She wore small star-shaped earrings and was dressed in a simple, yet stunning purple dress. Beside her, Kero stood in his true form as a golden lion with angel-like wings.

Upon seeing Sakura, Marina's eyes sparkled and dashed over to her. "Oh, Sakura, you look amazing!"

Sakura blushed lightly with embarrassment. "T-Thank you. It was all Tomoyo and the other maids. You look amazing yourself, Marina-chan."

Marina twirled around dramatically, having her dress twirl in a circle. "Thanks! Roddy picked it out for me since he believes that a "young woman of my age" should have something fancy to wear from time to time. I'm not complaining though."

She glanced over at Asbel and immediately tried to stifle and laugh by placing a hand over her mouth. A goofy smile came over her face, causing Asbel to glare at her.

"What's with the face?" Asbel asked irritably as Marina let out a few unrestrained chuckles.

"Y-You just look…ridiculous!" Marina burst out laughing as Kero and Sakura both sweatdropped.

"It's a bodyguard outfit! Stop laughing!" Asbel demanded with a flustered expression as Marina continued laughing at his getup.

Kero let out a sigh before padding over to the comedic duo. "Alright, enough laughs. We should be heading out now. It's getting late."

"Right! Now, off to the masked ball at the Lhant mansion!" Marina exclaimed as Asbel let out an exasperated sigh.

As they headed out the front doors of the palace, they failed to notice someone spying on them from a shadowed ledge looking down on the main room.

"The Lhant mansion, huh?" A grin appeared on the figure's face before jumping off the ledge, landing in the middle of the room.

"YAHOO! That's the perfect place for a stage for a big guy like me! HAHAHAHA!"

"Don't even think about it." Roderich said casually passing by the loud-mouthed character while holding a tray with several cakes and a cup of tea on it.

The boy stuck his tongue at the man once he had his back to him before letting out an annoyed snort.

"Peh, he's just jealous because he's so small compared to me."

* * *

The sun fully set over the horizon as the moon shone brightly in the night sky.

Suddenly, a dark shadow passed by, covering the light of the moon for a split second as another shadow passed a little behind it.

"Are we almost there?" Asbel asked while keeping up with the flying Guardian on a horse-like monster.

Sakura and Marina were both riding on Kero's back, while Asbel was forced to ride one of the palace's horses since there was clearly no room. Not that Kero would have let him in the first place.

However, Asbel was not skilled in horse-back riding and nearly fell of several times.

"Up ahead." Kero said, motioning his head for them to look.

When Sakura turned her attention up ahead, her eyes widened with awe upon seeing the brightly lit mansion with many people standing around outside.

Nerves started catching up with her as Sakura started fidgeting slightly. This would be the first time she would be around so many people at once.

Asbel hopped off the horse and walked a little awkwardly with his legs apart as if he was still riding.

"Man…I forgot…how far the Lhant mansion was…"

"Hoe? You've been here before, Asbel-san?" Sakura said in slight surprise.

Sakura's comment caught Asbel off guard as he visibly flinched before sweating nervously while trying desperately to think up an excuse.

However, having mercy on him, Marina distracted Sakura by placing a pink mask over her face.

"Good, now we can go in and have fun!" Marina said enthusiastically while pulling Sakura along with her.

Asbel let out yet another sigh of relief before wiping the sweat off his forehead before tying his horse to a stall. He glanced over to the side to see Kero giving him a suspicious look.

"Ah…um…uh…I mean…" Asbel stammered, trying his best to not trip over his words but was obviously failing.

Kero chuckled before shaking his head. "We all have something to hide. Now be a good bodyguard and head in there before something happens to make his majesty change his mind about this whole ordeal."

Asbel gave Kero a sheepish smile before quickly regaining his composure and headed in after Sakura and Marina.

After Asbel disappeared into the mansion's entrance, Kero turned into his smaller form in a flash of light before dashing into the bushes. He poked his head out to monitor his surrounding before grinning mischievously.

"There's no way I'm passing up a chance to eat fancy food. There'll probably be cake there too!" Kero said rubbing his paws together as his mouth started watering from the thought of food.

A small group of people passed by the bushes Kero was hiding in, causing Kero to stiffen.

Though he went unnoticed, Kero suddenly felt uneasy about the presences he felt just a moment ago and that the felt somewhat familiar.

'I know them from somewhere…'

A chill suddenly ran down his spine as he jerked his gaze up towards the moon.

There was a tall tree whose tip just barely touched the bottom of the moon. Standing on top, a dark figure outlined by the moon looked down on Kero through fiery, dark red eyes.

A stray cloud passed over the moon, shrouding the figure in darkness. Once the cloud passed, the figure had disappeared.

Kero narrowed his eyes as a small bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face. 'Not good.'

* * *

Sakura stood in awe of the extravagant decorations of the mansion. It was slightly overwhelming and Sakura thought she might tip over if not for Marina.

All the people attending the ball were wearing masks over their faces, ranging from simple to outrageous designs.

They were scattered around the giant room, in line for food, socializing along the sides and others dancing with one another in the middle of the floor.

Sakura stared at the couples dancing on the dance floor, watching their graceful movements. She then started fidgeting nervously again, catching Marina's attention.

"Are you okay? You seem kind of…tense."

Sakura glanced around anxiously before shaking her head. "N-No. I-I'm just n-not a good d-dancer is all."

Before Marina could question her, Asbel came up to them holding a plate of food.

"You should try the buffet. They have some pretty amazing stuff over there." Asbel said with a piece of tuna hanging out of his mouth.

Marina took his fork and shoved another piece into his mouth, causing Asbel to sputter a muffled sound. She turned back to Sakura and smiled.

"It doesn't really matter, Sakura. Don't be shy, just have fun."

Sakura did her best to return the smile, but gave her something of a nervous grin, causing Asbel to sweatdrop.

"P-Prease (Please)! I-I don't even know if I can do this correctry (correctly)!"

Sakura looked over to see a woman trying to drag a man with short black hair onto the dance floor, however he seemed more than against the idea.

Behind him, seemingly his friend just watched the struggle with a sympathetic smile.

"See, you're not the only one who is nervous." Marina said reassuringly.

Sakura nodded slowly, though she still felt very out of place. Though they may be the people she swore to protect as the future ruler of Star Kingdom, she felt as if she didn't belong here.

She hardly knew anyone outside of the palace and felt as if she couldn't relate to the people properly.

While Sakura was busy in her conflicted state, Marina went to go dance with a gentleman wearing a white suit and cape. Knowing Marina, she would dance with anyone wearing a cape.

Asbel walked over to her side and placed a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "You don't have to dance if you don't want to. But just have a good time and get to know some of the people here."

Sakura nodded before Asbel guided her around, having her talk to several people, though making sure to leave out the fact that she was the princess.

Though she was hesitant at first, Sakura realized how nice many of the people of Star Kingdom were. They were all hard working individuals who did whatever they could to support the Kingdom.

After talking to several other people, Sakura found that she was enjoying herself. Getting to know people from around her Kingdom was much more interesting than Sakura initially thought.

"Are you enjoying yourself, miss?"

Sakura turned around to see a woman in her mid forties with strikingly blue hair. She wore a tired smile, but Sakura could tell there was a motherly warmth behind it.

"Yes, very much, thank you." Sakura said bowing.

"My, what a polite young woman you are. My son could learn a thing from you." The woman said well humorously, causing Sakura to blush.

"Is your son around?" Sakura asked looking around.

The woman's smile fell as a doleful expression came over her face.

Sakura immediately regretted asking her the question. But before she could change the subject, the woman started explaining.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

The woman shook her head. "No, it's all right. I just…Never mind."

Sakura could tell that the woman was bothered by the topic of her son and decided not to pry further.

"Anyways, are you here alone? Someone as young as you shouldn't be walking around all on your own." The woman said changing the subject.

Sakura shook her head. "Oh no, I'm here with some friends. Like As-"

When Sakura turned around, she found that Asbel had disappeared. She looked around frantically for him but saw that he was nowhere in sight.

'W-Where did he go? Marina-chan is off somewhere too! I really am alone!' Sakura mentally cried as she felt herself start to panic.

"Um, miss, are you all right?" the woman asked, sensing Sakura's unease.

"Y-Yes, of course! I just need to go the restroom!" Sakura said dashing away.

"It to the hall on the right!" the woman called after her.

As she dashed down the hall, she missed a pair of amber eyes staring after her in interest.

In the restroom, Sakura splashed some cold water over his face, hoping to calm down.

She wondered where Asbel had gone, especially since he said he'd stay with her through out the night. It was definitely troubling that her "bodyguard" had gone off on his own time.

However, Sakura found herself thinking about the blue-haired woman. There was something about her that she found familiar.

She reminded her of someone, but Sakura couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Blue was definitely not a common hair color, though she still had trouble figuring out who the woman reminded her of.

Deciding to push the thought to the side for now, Sakura exited the washroom in hopes of finding either Asbel or Marina.

After looking around for her friends for a while, Sakura eventually gave up and sat down in one of the chairs off to the side.

'There are so many people around now, it's hard to see through the crowd. I'll never find them at this rate…' Sakura thought with a sigh.

While alone with no one to talk to, thoughts of the war with Moon Kingdom started swirling through her head. The war had been going on between the two kingdoms for years before Sakura was even born. But she knew of the devastation it brought.

'And what if Moon Kingdom decides to attack tonight while I'm here? I won't be there to help…I just wish there was no such this as war. Father would still be here if that were true...' Sakura thought to herself as tears threatened to fall.

"Are you all right?"

Sakura glanced up with a slight jolt, seeing a boy around her age standing in front of her. She stood up automatically before proceeding to wipe the tears forming in her eyes.

The boy wore a red jacket with gold lining and white cuffs. He also had a yellow and black sash hanging across his chest and wore white pants and shoes.

Sakura thought the boy looked very well groomed, despite the messy brown hair.

A red mask covered his face, though Sakura could make out bright amber eyes underneath.

"W-Who are you?"

**To be continued...**

* * *

Dang, this is coming out a lot longer than I expected. I'm about to write three chapters from one chapter I had previously. Anyways, hopefully I can move the plot along a bit faster. I wasn't expecting for this to be this slow, oh well. Hope you are enjoying this so far, Please Review! :D

_Characters:_

_Sakura  
Age: 14  
Original Anime: Cardcaptor Sakura_

_Tomoyo  
Age: 14  
Anime: Cardcaptor Sakura_

_Kero  
Anime: Cardcaptor Sakura  
_

_Toya  
Age: 20  
Anime: Cardcaptor Sakura_

_Roderich (Austria)  
Age: 26  
Anime: Hetalia Axis Powers_

_Marina  
Age: 15  
Anime: Pokemon Chronicles_

_Asbel  
Age: 18  
Game: Tales of Graces_


	4. Moon and Star

These chapters just keep getting longer and longer. I'm trying to keep them short, but that apparently is not happening. Hope you enjoy the longess of these chapters though. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters**

**Chapter 3: Moon and Star  
**

"W-Who are you?" Sakura asked, surprised to find someone her age at such a fancy gathering.

The boy was silent for a moment before replying, "It's common courtesy to not identify ourselves at this kind of ball."

Sakura looked down at the floor while lightly tugging at the frills in her dress, feeling a bit embarrassed. This was her first time at a masked ball, so she wasn't really familiar with the customs.

"Sorry…I mean, this is my first time at a masked ball, so I…" Sakura trailed off, getting more embarrassed by the second.

The boy wore an unreadable expression before his mouth curved slightly upward, forming a small smile.

"Don't worry about it, I'm not used to these kinds of things either. This is actually my first time attending a gathering such as this as well," the boy said while rubbing the back of his head.

"I've been so busy lately that I've really had no chance to just relax. So some of my wa-, er, friends dragged me out here as I tend to lock myself up."

"Me too!" Sakura said, catching the boy's attention. "Things have been so hectic lately, I've hardly had any time to just get away from everything."

The boy raised his eyebrows in surprise before looking to the side with a small grin. "I see. We seem to have a bit in common."

Sakura blushed lightly as a small smile crept up onto her face. Though she hasn't known the boy for more than a few minutes, she felt comfortable around him. His presence was somewhat comforting, since Asbel and Marina had left her alone.

"Um…"

Sakura glanced up at the boy once more, who appeared to be deep in thought.

He looked over at Sakura and gave her a small smile before holding his hand out to her. "Would you like to dance with me, miss?"

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise before looking away, her face getting redder by the second. "I-I can't dance very well. I might step on your feet."

The boy chuckled, his hand still outstretched. "Then I will do my best to evade."

Sakura looked back at him and seeing his honest expression, she couldn't help but smile.

Hesitantly, she reached out and placed her hand in his.

Slowly, the boy guided her to the dance floor before they started swaying to the music. The music was soft and fluid, the perfect slow song.

As the two danced, it seemed as if the other people in the room had disappeared, leaving only the two of them.

The boy suddenly winced and Sakura suddenly realized that she had accidentally stepped on his foot.

"I'm so sorry! Maybe we should stop…"

"I-It's fine. I'll just have to be more careful next time." The boy replied well humorously.

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at his remark before the two continued dancing together.

The boy was going slow for her and gently guided her through the steps.

After a while, Sakura finally got the hang of it and was able to adjust to the rhythm of the music while following the boy's lead.

Sakura felt strange, her heart was pounding and she felt a warmth spreading through her chest.

His eyes seemed so captivating that she couldn't look away from them.

"Well, looks like her highness is having a good time after all." Marina said slyly while watching the two dance from afar.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted someone peering from behind a pillar before darting back behind it.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously before slowly making her way towards the said pillar.

'What if it's Moon Kingdom? It surely won't be good if it is.' Marina thought as she closed in on her target.

Once she made it to the pillar, she drew a breath before jumping out to catch the suspicious character off guard.

"GAHH!" Asbel cried in shock as Marina looked at him blankly.

"What are you doing sneaking around like that? I thought you were Moon Kingdom!" Marina said in annoyance as Asbel sweatdropped.

"What are you doing hiding behind a pillar instead of with Sakura. You are her _bodyguard _after all."

Asbel remained silent, his face looking downcast.

"Because now she's dancing with some guy." Marina said pointing towards the dance floor.

"Oh…WHAT?" Asbel cried as he whipped his head around.

Asbel was struck speechless to see Sakura was indeed dancing with some boy.

She seemed to be enjoying herself while wearing a soft smile. Sakura had been so stressed lately, that all of her smiles were either strained or tired. But seeing her smiling so freely and relaxed, Asbel couldn't help but smile.

"If the prince knew about this, he'd probably kill me." Asbel said wish a sheepish expression while Marina nodded in agreement.

On the other side of the room, another boy watched the two with a soft smile on his face. He had unruly black hair with bangs jutting out in front of his face. His outfit was almost identical to the boy Sakura was dancing with, minus the yellow sash. Sitting over his face was a gold mask with black lining.

A moment later, the man who had been forcefully dragged onto the dance floor exasperatedly trudged over to the boy's side. He leaned against the wall before slowly sliding down to sit on the floor.

"Tired already? The party just got started." The boy teased as the man just looked up at him with an exhausted expression.

The man had a white suit with gold lining and golden tassels on the shoulders. He had neatly cut black hair, as opposed to his companion's.

"I am not especiarry (especially) fond of being the center of attention, Kenta-kun. Besides, it's not as if I wanted to dance in the first prace (place)."

Kenta just chuckled at his friend's distress before glancing back over towards the two dancing figures. The man followed his gaze and widened his eyes in surprise at the scene. A small smile appeared on the man's face while he watching the two dance.

"I don't even remember the last time he smiled like that and I grew up with him." Kenta said with a chuckle.

"It sure is refreshing to see him this carefree. We don't usuarry (usually) see that now a days." The man replied while adjusting the white mask over his face.

"YAHOOOO!"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash as a part of the ceiling came in causing everyone in the room to gasp. Rubble littered the floor and shrouding the whole room with dust.

"What's happening?

"Are we under attack?"

"Is it Moon Kingdom?"

"Someone inform the knights!"

Everyone in the room was in a panic while desperately trying to figure out what in the world was going on.

Once the dust cloud lifted, it revealed a spiky, bright blue-haired boy standing on top of one of the tables in a dramatic pose. His hair was spiked in a star-shape. He wore a sleeveless black shirt with a funnel-like collar and black and white trousers that didn't cover his legs entirely. He was rather tan and had a muscular build while sporting a star tattoo on his right shoulder.

He looked over at the crowd with a calm expression before taking a breath,

"It's me, in all my glory! The one and only Black Star is here, yahoo!" the boy cried triumphantly while striking another dramatic pose.

An awkward silence hung in the room as the boy known as Black Star smirked. Everyone just stared at the new arrival, unable to deduce if he was a threat or not.

Someone started clapping and everyone looked over to the source of the sudden applause. Marina stood with a huge smile on her face while applauding the obnoxious boy.

"You tell them, Black Star!" Marina cheered as Black Star gave her a thumbs up with a huge grin.

"HAHAHAHA! Remember this well, people! I am the only one great enough to be called great! For I am going to be the one to surpass god! In fact, I already am!" Black Star announced. "Try not to feel too bad about living in my shadow! It isn't your fault that I'm the biggest star ever!"

"Marina! Stop encouraging him!" Asbel cried as Marina chuckled sheepishly while Black Star went on laughing in the background.

Asbel rushed over to Black Star and tried to restrain the boy from causing any more destruction.

"What do you think you're doing? You can't interrupt my big speech!" Black Star shouted as he started struggling against Asbel's attempts to hold him back.

"You're the one who was interrupting!" Asbel shouted back as the two started fighting.

Sakura blinked a couple of time, shocked speechless by Black Star's rather conspicuous entrance. The possibility of Black Star following them had slipped her mind due to all of the things happening recently. She had forgotten what an attention hog he is and would go to great lengths to get the attention he claimed he deserved.

Her dance partner however, had a rather annoyed frown on his face. "Who's the clown?"

Black Star paused before shoving Asbel back. A scowl appeared on his face as he jumped off the table and stomped over to Sakura and the boy. "I'm sorry. Come again? I didn't catch what you said the first time due to my awesome performance."

The boy turned to face the shorter male, not looking the least bit intimidated.

"I was just saying what a hopeless idiot you are, spouting all that nonsense." The boy said nonchalantly as Sakura anxiously took a quick intake of breath.

There were only a handful of people back at the Star Kingdom palace that were able to subdue Black Star, though it definitely wasn't easy for them. Despite his obnoxious attitude, Black Star is one of the most skilled and powerful apprentices Star Kingdom had. If it weren't for his attitude, Sakura guaranteed he would already be a full-fledged warrior by now.

Black Star narrowed his eyes dangerously before coming forward and grabbing hold of the boy by the collar, yanking him down to eye level.

"Is that a challenge, you punk?" Black Star asked while winding back his arm in preparation.

The boy however, did not look fazed as he just calmly looked down on him.

Black Star grinned at his silence. "Heh, what? Cat got your tongue? Though I can't really blame you since you're so small compared to a big guy like me."

"Put him down."

Standing behind Black Star was a blue dog-like being with black appendages connected to the back of its head. The creature had a furry yellow torso with black paws with a spike coming from the back. Its eyes were fiery red that could burn a hole into anyone's head with just a glance.

The creature's paw was held up to the back of Black Star's head while brimming with powerful energy. Sakura could see the blue aura emanating from the creature's paw and could sense a great power within the creature.

"It's Lucario! A Moon Kingdom Guardian!" one of the guests cried in bewilderment.

The news created an uproar of panic as everyone in the room tried to get as far away as possible from the Moon Guardian.

As this happened, the crowd of people formed a large circle along the walls of the room. Those left in the center were Marina, Asbel, Sakura, the boy, Black Star, and Lucario.

Marina glanced over to the side to see that the man who was dragged onto the dance floor earlier along with Kenta had not moved from where they were standing.

Kenta ran a hand through his unruly hair while letting out a frustrated sigh. "I knew coming here was a bad idea."

"There is no use in pretending any ronger (longer)." The man said as he ripped off a piece of cloth from his uniform, revealing the symbol of Moon Kingdom.

Kenta unfolded a piece of cloth from his pocket and tied it over his head. The bandanna he now wore also had the Moon Kingdom symbol.

"They're Moon Kingdom!"

"Moon Kingdom really did plan to attack!"

"Will those monsters stop at nothing to destroy the peace?"

Both Moon Kingdom warriors narrowed their eyes at the comments as several Star Kingdom knights rushed in and surrounded them.

Black Star narrowed his eyes while letting the boy go, his anger from a moment ago gone.

"Moon Kingdom, huh?" Black Star said. "Who do you guys think you are, stealing the spotlight off of me?"

With that, he quickly dropped down to the floor and performed a sweep kick at Lucario.

However, the Moon Guardian easily dodged the attack by jumping out of the way before sending a powerful ball of aura hurtling down on Black Star.

A massive explosion erupted as the knights hurriedly ushered the people out of the building before the actual fighting began.

"You call that an attack? I hardly even felt a thing! Not that I'm surprised because of how big a guy I am!" Black Star said mockingly as he charged towards Lucario vengefully.

Black Star and Lucario hands started pulsing with energy as they charged towards each other.

Both fighters shot their arms forward, powerful energies colliding. The collision caused yet another explosion, shaking the entire mansion.

Sakura let out a gasp before shielding herself from the force of the simultaneous attacks. Asbel quickly rushed over to her and protectively put his arms around her, making sure she wouldn't get hurt.

The explosion temporarily distracted the knights long enough for Kenta and the man to draw their weapons and attack with speed and precision.

One by one, the knights fell to single strikes from the Moon warriors. Kenta struck the knights with arrows projected from his small crossbow that was attached to his arm while his companion dealt the final blow with his katana.

Sakura's eyes widened in horror as she watched the knights fall from the Moon warriors' attacks. She looked up at the boy who she was dancing with, as he had not moved at all since being called out by Black Star. His back was to her, so she couldn't make out his expression. However, she found it slightly unnerving how quiet he was being.

Asbel quickly ushered her over to Marina and protectively stood in front of them while unsheathing his sword.

"Not good…" Marina said under her breath as she watched the Moon warriors mercilessly slaughter the knights.

Moon Kingdom warriors were known for their ruthless streak and strength. If they were knights, they could be easily dealt with. Unfortunately, warriors were placed in a separate category, as they were superior in fighting skill compared to knights.

Rushing forward, Asbel threw himself in between a fallen knight and the black haired man, locking swords. The knight struggled to get back on his feet before racing out to tend to his wounds.

The man glared at Asbel before striking down on his blade with a flurry of strikes, causing Asbel to stagger back a few steps from the continuous impacts.

Recovering, Asbel lunged at the man, trying to subdue him but was blocked with such precision and ease. He was then met with another tempest of blows in retaliation from his opponent, struggling to keep from being knocked off his feet.

Though the man lacked in power, he made up for it with rigor and speed. Asbel caught on to his strategy after analyzing his movements and strike patterns. He would catch his opponent in a tornado of strikes and once he tired him out, he would deal the final blow.

Every blow from the man looked effortless and didn't look tired in the least. If this went on any longer, Asbel knew the man's strategy would eventually catch him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a fast moving projectile. Crap! He forgot about the other warrior!

However, before the arrow made contact, Marina jumped in front of him and hit the projectile away with her combat staff.

Asbel would have said thanks, but was already occupied blocking the other man's attacks.

Marina kept her eyes on the boy in front of her as his crossbow switched into an arm blade. It came down to a close combat and Marina was sure as hell that she was definitely not going to lose. Kenta shared the same thought, however he was a little hesitant since he would be fighting a girl.

Black Star and Lucario continued their hand-to-hand combat battle, while trying to either out power or out tactic the other.

As the three simultaneous battles ensued, Sakura could only watch helplessly watch from the sidelines. She felt absolutely useless just standing there, watching her friends put themselves in danger to protect those around them. A pang of guilt and envy struck her chest, as she desperately wanted to be able to do something besides watch. But what could she do? She wasn't too experienced in fighting and even if she did have some skill, she probably wouldn't be able to bring herself to harm another person.

She looked to the boy for support, but saw that he still had yet to budge. It was like he was frozen in place. Maybe he was scared stiff. This could be a chance for Sakura to be able to help someone.

Taking a breath, Sakura hurried over to the boy and hesitantly reached out to him. When she placed a delicate hand on his arm, she felt him flinch from her touch.

"It's just me. Come on, we should get somewhere safe." Sakura said as the boy slowly turned to her.

The boy looked at with a mixture of guilt and confusion, causing Sakura to look at him in concern. She couldn't understand his expression. Why did he look so guilty? Why did he look confused as if she didn't realize something important?

"You-"

"Sakura!"

Both Sakura and the boy jerked to see a small golden bear-like creature fly over to them.

Upon seeing the boy with Sakura, Kero's eyes immediately narrowed his eyes before quickly changing into his true form.

The boy quickly backed away from Sakura as Kero bounded over to her side, growling threateningly at him to stay back.

"Kero-chan?" Sakura said in confusion at Kero's hostility.

The man was impressed that Asbel was still able to defend against his attacks. However, he could tell that his attacks were taking its toll on his endurance and saw that his movements were starting to slow down.

A smirk appeared on the man's face before striking Asbel's blade with greater force. The impact knocked the sword out of Asbel's hands, leaving him bewildered and defenseless.

'Damn…' Asbel mentally cursed as a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face while taking panting breaths. He glanced to the side to see that his sword lying a little off to the side.

"Sayonara, warrior-san." The man said curtly before coming down on him with one final strike.

Reacting quickly, Asbel took his sword's sheathe from his belt and used it to block the man's attack.

The man widened his eyes in shock, never seeing anyone use their sheathe like that.

Taking advantage of the man's surprise, Asbel quickly threw the man's blade off and proceeded with several acrobatic kicks. With a powerful upper kick, Asbel was able to stun the man for a moment.

He then used this chance to dart over towards his fallen sword. Recovering from Asbel's attack, the man chased after him, not wanting to give him the opportunity to reach it.

However, Asbel made it to his sword and sent a powerful wave of energy at the man.

A small explosion erupted as the man flew out of the dust cloud. He winced slightly, caught off guard from Asbel's attack and felt a slight pain in his leg.

Suddenly, Asbel appeared in front of him in a flash of movement. The man's eyes widened in horror as he desperately tried to move out of the way as Asbel slashed at him.

He was unable to move away fast enough to escape completely unscathed. They landed a several feet away from the other, glaring at each other intently.

After a moment, the man suddenly dropped to his knees as his mask dropped to the floor, cut in half as a drop of blood trickled down his face.

He wore a passive expression and didn't seem at all fazed by the fact that he was bleeding. The oddest thing about the man that Asbel noticed was that he had dark brown eyes that seemed to be missing the pupil, giving him a soulless look.

Before he could say anything, a large group of Star Kingdom knights rushed into the building and surrounded the three Moon Kingdom adversaries.

To Sakura's surprise, her brother walked in with the Star Kingdom captain of the knights.

"Your highness!" Kero cried in surprise as Toya narrowed his eyes at the scene.

"Lay your weapons down, we have you surrounded!" the captain commanded.

Slowly and hesitantly, both the man and Kenta laid their weapons down. Lucario let out a frustrated growl before lowering his arms to his sides.

"I guess we have no choice but to retreat." The boy said, his amber eyes darkening as he started walking towards the group of Moon Kingdom warriors.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Sakura cried out as she tried to rush over to him, but Kero prevented her by standing in front of her.

"Sakura, stop! Do you even know who he is?" Kero said before glaring back at the boy.

"W-What do you mean?" Sakura asked as the boy stopped.

"I knew I recognized his presence," Kero said narrowing his golden eyes. "It's almost exactly the same as his father's. Or should I say, the king of Moon Kingdom?"

Sakura's eyes widened in bewilderment and shock. "You mean…you're…"

"I'm surprised you didn't get it the first time," The boy said as he took off his mask before looking back at Sakura with a dark expression. "But yes. I am the Moon Kingdom prince."

**To be continued...**

* * *

I feel as if Sakura is a little useless here, but she has been cooped up in the palace for all these years so I guess she kinda has an excuse. And yes, Black Star was the person spying on them when they first left the palace. He's a fun little character to put in I have to say. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it took a while to make. Tell me what you think, what you liked, what you didn't like. Everything but flames are welcome.

_Characters:_

_Kenta  
Age: 14  
Original Anime: Pokemon Chronicles_

_Black Star  
Age: 13  
Original Anime: Soul Eater_

_Lucario  
Original Game: Pokemon  
_


	5. Name's Sake

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters**

**Chapter 5: Name's Sake**

!WHACK!

"Hey! Ow! What the hell, Stein?" Black Star cried while rubbing his head in pain.

Once Black Star had entered the palace, Roderich immediately greeted him with a painful blow to the head.

"That was for not listening. You were to stay in the palace last evening and had recklessly gotten everyone in danger at the dance." Roderich said harshly, though Black Star merely scoffed as he folded his arms across his chest.

A mad-mark appeared over Roderich's head before he turned towards a black, cybernetic monkey with large lime-green eyes. "Antauri, didn't you try to stop him?"

Antauri let out a sigh before putting up his hands defensively.

"Of course. However, reasoning with the boy is futile. You should know that by now." Antauri said simply as Black Star huffed irritably.

"Peh, you're just trying to put me down so you'll look bigger. But we all know that no matter what you do, you don't even come close to me!" Black Star said arrogantly, causing Roderich to strike him over the head with his conducting baton, which he always kept conviently in his pocket.

Black Star let out another cry of pain while holding his head. A mad-mark appeared over Black Star's head before glaring up at the bespectacled man. He attempted to charge at him, intent on beating the man to a bloody pulp, but was fortunately stopped by Antauri.

It was also a bad idea to pick a fight with Black Star. If anyone challenged him, or the other way around, they would be reduced to nothing but a bleeding pile of jelly. Considering he sought to surpass the gods, he would take on any challenge if it meant getting stronger.

Roderich was one of the only ones fortunate enough to avoid retributions after provoking the hotheaded boy. Though he was only able to elude several beatings due to other's interventions.

While Antauri dragged away a furious Black Star, Roderich let out an exasperated sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to soothe his oncoming headache.

He then turned his attention on the young prince, who had been pacing restlessly in the middle of the room. Roderich furrowed his brow at the sight before feelings something settle on his shoulder.

"How long has he been at it?" Kero asked while propping his head up with his small arms.

"About twenty minutes now," Roderich said with a sigh.

A man with platinum, blond hair and golden eyes was sitting off to the side, watching Toya pace with a bored, yet annoyed expression. He wore a white uniform with silver armor and the captain's symbol etched into the metal.

"Your Highness, you're going to wear a hole in the floor if you don't calm down," the man said.

The Star Kingdom prince gritted his teeth in frustration before glaring over at the captain.

"You expect me to be calm at a time like this, Aslan? Those Moon Kingdom b******s snuck into our kingdom, having killed several of our knights. What's worse, Sakura was there to witness it all! If only that brat (Asbel) had done his job better."

Both Roderich and Kero winced at the prince's tone, deciding that it was best to stay out of the conversation.

Aslan let out a sigh before running a hand through his mane-like hair, eyeing his friend wearily. "Technically, Asbel did do his job. He promised to protect her so that she wouldn't be harmed, and he kept it. Besides, she was going to see what the war is like first-hand sooner or later. You can't keep 'protecting' her by keeping her locked up in the palace all the time. It's not good for one's mental stability."

"This isn't funny!" Toya shouted while coming forward and grabbing Aslan by the front collar. "You know very damn well that I'm only doing those things for her own good. She's too young to experience the destruction this war has brought."

"Your Highness…!" Roderich cried as Kero looked on with a worried expression.

However, before he could act, Aslan stopped him by holding up a hand, telling him that he could handle it.

Aslan looked down at Toya with a calm expression, as opposed to Toya's furious one.

"She's already _experienced _the destruction. You've lost your parents to the war, did you not?" Aslan said as his eyes narrowed seriously.

Toya released him with a fierce jerk before the young man walked away indignatly while muttering cures under his breath. Aslan watched him in disappointment, seeing as he was not going to change his mind any time soon. Though he knew that Toya was thinking of Sakura, Aslan thought that keeping Sakura in the dark about the true extent of the war wouldn't do her any good when it came time for her to take the throne.

"You might have gone too far with that last point." Kero sighed while shaking his head.

The platinum bond shrugged, causing Roderich to fold his arms irritably.

"I'm just trying to get him to realize that he can't shlter her fot he rest of her life. She is the future ruler of Star Kingdom, and as one, she eventually has to take part in this war."

Roderich quickly adjusted his glasses. "How insightful of you. But it is too soon to get Miss Sakura involved in the Kingdom's affairs. He's just trying to preserve her innocence."

A chuckle escaped Aslan's mouth. "Says the person who did a **_wonderful _**job of raising Black Star."

"You can shut your mouth!" Roderich shouted before letting out an exasperated sigh and running a hand through his shaggy hair. "That boy is a different situation all together."

* * *

Sakura lay on her bed, looking lazily up at the ceiling, unable to sleep due to last night's events but drained of all possible energy.

She had been lying on her bed for hours, thinking about what had happened. The night had been enjoyable and she admitted that she had been having a great time, until Black Star decided to crash the party.

However, she couldn't blame him. It wasn't his fault that Moon Kingdom had snuck into their territory.

Moonlight from the full moon bathed the room with a soft glow turning everything it touched silver.

The moon was unusually bright that night, making it especially difficult not to think about the events earlier that night.

Sakura placed her arms over her eyes, trying to block out the light that was glaring down on her.

Suddenly, she heard a low whistling noise coming from far off in the distance. The noise sounded hollow as if someone was blowing into a bottle. Yet, it also had a very soothing and warm feeling to it.

As she lay there listening, she slowly found herself easing into sleep. However, the events of earlier continued replaying themselves in her mind…

* * *

_"I am the Moon Kingdom prince."_

_Sakura gasped while placing a hand over her mouth. This boy, whom she had grown fond of in such a short amount of time, was her enemy all along._

_"So, this little brat is the Moon Kingdom prince, huh?" Toya said as he unsheathed his sword._

_The boy looked over to Lucario, who nodded in response before leaping into the air as its body started glowing._

_The light dispersed immediately as Lucario hit the ground, having transformed into a white wolf that had several ice shards attacked to its body. Extending from its back were large wings made of clear icicles, which shone brightly under the mansion's lights._

_Kero let out a threatening growl as Lucario snarled in response._

_The boy patted Lucario on the head before looking over at Sakura, causing her breath to catch in her throat._

_His amber gaze bore down into her emerald ones, as she felt her pulse quicken. Sakura was completely captivated before noticing a hint of guilt in his gaze._

_But just as she noticed, it disappeared with a flash when he closed his eyes. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers._

_In response, Lucario spread out its icy wings and let out a mighty howl while releasing a blizzard, covering the whole room._

_Everyone quickly shielded themselves, blinded from the sudden blizzard. Marina rushed over to Sakura, shielding her with her body as frozen winds whipped violently around them._

_Once the blizzard had died away, the Moon Kingdom warriors were gone._

_Toya looked around bewilderedly before turning to Aslan. "Search the perimeter, don't let them get away!"_

_Aslan saluted before signaling to his knight squadron to spread out and search for the enemy._

_"Damn, they sure cleared out fast. Probably realized how big a guy I really was and ecided to retreat considering there was no way they could possibly win." Black Star scoffed while puffing out his chest._

_Asbel let out an exasperated sigh before straightening when Toya approached him. He didn't look happy._

_A bead of sweat dripped down the side of Asbel's face before bowing apologetically. "I'm sorry, your Highness. I-"_

_Toya put up a hand, cutting off Asbel's apology. "Save it. Just go and help with the search."_

_Asfter a moment's hesitation, Asbel nodded and quickly rushed outside with the other knights._

_Once he left, Toya quickly walked over to Sakura, gazing down at her with a look of both concern and outrage._

_"What the hell happened?" Toya demanded harshly as Sakura ducked her head._

_"Your Highness, don't blame her for this. We didn't know Moon Kingdom would be here," Marina said, trying to ease the prince's anger._

_Toya let out a frustrated growl before closing his eyes to calm himself. After composing himself, he looked down at Sakura with a softer expression._

_"Sorry. I'm just glad you're all right," Toya said as Sakura nodded meekly._

_He frowned before letting out a sigh and gently placed a hand on top of Sakura's head._

_"Let's go home."_

* * *

Sakura awoke to the morning sun shining down on her face. She glanced outside to see the sun shining brilliantly overhead.

'I must have overslept," Sakura yawned, still feeling mentally exhausted. 'Roderich-sensei is going to kill me…'

A sudden knock interrupted her thoughts, causing her to flinch. Hesitantly, she allowed whoever was at the door to come in, half expecting Roderich to come through the doors and scold her.

To her relief, Romoyo stepped in before rushing towards her and threw her arms around Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, are you all right? I heard about the attack. I'm so sorry!" Tomoyo cried guiltily, being the one to suggest that Sakura should go to the masked ball to relax.

Sakura smiled before shaking her head and returned her friend's embrace. "I'm fine, Tomoyo-chan. Don't apologize, it wasn't your fault."

Brushing the tears from her eyes, Tomoyo smiled warmly up at her, grateful that she was not physically hurt.

"Thank goodness. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you," Tomoyo said putting a hand over her chest. "Oh, before I forget. His Highness wants to see you outside."

Sakura let out a sigh before nodding. "Tell him I'll be out in a minute."

* * *

When Sakura entered the main room, she was surprised to see Toya accompanied by several other people.

Toya was talking to a man with dark skin and light-brown hair that was tied up in a spiky ponytail. He had thick eyebrows and sideburns along with a small beard on his chin. The man wore a silver and white uniform that had heart-like pattern on the front. He also had a broad-looking sword attached to his side.

Behind him were two other soldiers. One was a woman with long blond hair that was tied in a ragged ponytail. She wore a sleeveless black outfit with a long red cloth draped over her shoulders. The other soldier was a young man who had long red hair with black tipped ends. His bangs were slicked back, though part of it stuck up. He wore along black and silver uniform with a red lined design on the front. Both solders looked intimidating, as they had serious frowns on their faces.

"Ah, Sakura." Toya said as Sakura and Tomoyo approached them.

"Oniichan, who are these people?" Sakura asked nervously, feeling the soldiers' icy glances on her.

"This is Van, the commandant of the Oracle Organization." Toya introduced as the man bowed courteously.

Sakura tipped her head to the side. "Oracle Organization?"

Van chuckled. "I see we are not very well known. However, the Oracle Organization's main duty is to resolve the Kingdoms' disputes with one another through peaceful means. Two of my most trusted subordinates are stationed in each kingdom, where they try and reason with the people there. Unfortunately, it seemed as if they couldn't do much to prevent the attack. Please accept my most humble apologies."

Sakura shook her head. "Don't be, it wasn't your fault. I didn't think they would be their either."

Sakura didn't realize there was actually an organization trying to stop the war from within. However, from the looks of how things were presently, there hadn't been much progress. But it was troubling that two of the Oracle Organization members stationed in Moon Kingdom could not stop them. Was Moon Kingdom that bent on continuing the war?

Van smiled sympathetically before bowing once more. "Still, I wil do all in my power to try and have Moon Kingdom meet eye-to-eye with the other Kingdoms. However, I've been preoccupied with a search that has been going on lately."

"A search?" Toya said in interest. "For who?"

"Master Ion. He is the leader of the Oracle Organization, or rather oversees its progress. But he had recently gone missing during his trip to Moon Kingdom," Van explained.

'Is Moon Kingdom really that dangerous that they'd attack a neutral figurehead?' Sakura wondered, glancing out the window in the direction of Moon Kingdom.

"It would be unwise to approach Moon Kingdom at this time due to the circumstances. Ove everything dies down, I will personally go and consult Moon Kingdom on both matters." Van said before turning back to Sakura.

"Your Highness, can you tell me exactly what happened at the Lhant mansion?"

Sakura looked down at the floor. "Wel…"

After Sakura explained what had happened, a mad-mark pulsed largely over Toya's head as Tomoyo's eyes sparkled.

"You danced…WITH THAT BRAT?" Toya shouted as Sakura sweatdropped.

"How romantic," Tomoyo gushed. "It's just like the story about Romeo and Juliet."

"TOMOYO-CHAN!" Sakura cried, begging her friend to stop as her face went tomato red.

Van put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Hm, I see. So there were four of them. Three humans and one Guardian…It seems as if they weren't there to attack, but more likely was gathering information. Either way, it was for the best to have stopped them. Though I am surprised that the prince would go down there himself…"

After a moment, Van shook his head.

"Never mind. Now If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my post and file a report about the incident."

Sakura nodded. "Yes, thank you. Sorry for taking some of your time out of your busy schedule commandant."

"No, no, it was no trouble at all. I'm just glad you are all right, your Highness," Van said before bidding farewell with his subordinates following behind him.

After Van had left, Tomoyo glanced over at Toya. "I know the Oracle Organization means well, but how do they actually go about their job? What have they really accomplished?"

Toya shook his head. "I don't know, but that's their business. Right now, we have to focus on whether Moon Kingdom plans to attack again."

Though they were part of a good cause, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by Van's subordinates. She wondered if all of them wore frowns and gave off cold auras as those two did.

Sakura shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. 'They want to help us, I shouldn't be worried.'

* * *

"After all that, we didn't get any new information," Lucario growled while walking beside Kenta down a long hallway.

Kenta let out an exasperated sigh while rubbing the back of his head. "All I found out was that Star Kingdom people are amazingly laid back."

Lucario let out another growl of frustration as Kenta took off his bandana to run a hand through his already messy hair. He knew that Lucario had every right to be angry, especially since they had been greatly outnumbered, forcing them to retreat. Moon Kingdom had a reputation to uphold, and running away didn't make too good of an impression.

"By the way, where is the prince?" Kenta asked, wanting to lighten Lucario's foul mood.

It was Lucario's turn to let out a sigh. "He's locked himself up in his room again. Just like always."

"Sometimes I wonder about him. Does he really expect the Kingdom to run itself? Especially with this war that's been going on for…Er, how long has it been now?" Kenta asked as Lucario sweatdropped.

"It doesn't really matter," Lucario said before narrowing his eyes. "As long as Star Kingdom is active, we can never rest easy."

They entered the palace's infirmary and looked over to see their comrade getting his wounds from last night checked by a woman with short, silver hair.

"Hey, Kiku. Are you going to be all right? You didn't lose an eye, did you?" Kenta asked as the man shook his head.

"No, I was just grazed srightry on the forehead, nothing more. Except for a few bruises here and there, I'm just fine – GAH!" Kiku cried in pain when alcohol was applied to his wound, causing Kenta and Lucario to sweatdrop. "Prease, Raine-sensei, warn me when you are about to do that! Why not just use your hearing artes – ITAI!"

"Don't be a baby, Kiku," the woman known as Raine said before applying a bandage to his forehead. "These aren't serious enough to use healing artes. Now hold still."

Kiku let out another cry of pain before Kenta and Lucario excused themselves to go check on the prince.

Kenta couldn't deny that they were pretty badly beaten. The girl he had fought at the ball had been tougher than he'd expected and he had found himself with several unwanted bruises. His shoulders had been bothering him all morning, but he'd decided that Kiku needed more attention than him. He was just glad they had been able to get away with only a couple of scratches.

A knight suddenly rushed up to them and saluted in respect. He then quickly bent down and whispered something into Lucario's ear. Lucario's eyes widened briefly before nodding. The knight saluted once more before rushing off to attend to his other duties.

"What is it?" Kenta asked.

"The others are calling for a meeting. Apparently, they are not too happy with our progress," Lucario sighed.

Lucario excused himself to attend the meeting while Kenta decided to go see if he could get the prince to come join them.

As he walked towards the prince's room, the image of the prince's smile appeared in his mind, causing Kenta to frown.

It had been years since he saw the young lord smile so serenely. But after both his parents were lost in the war, the prince had found no reason to smile.

The war had caused so much grief for everyone. No one was spared from the devastation the war left. Relatives, friends, loved ones were all devoured by the never satisfied hunger of the war.

Before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, he was surprised to see the prince ouside in the hallway conversing with the royal advisor, Judas.

Both wore serious expressions, as the prince seemed to be pondering what Judas was telling him. Kenta was too far away to hear what they were saying, but he was certain it was about last night.

Upon Kenta's arrival, Judas said one final word to the prince before leaving, not caring to say a word to Kenta.

Kenta glared after him, slightly put off by the man's rudeness.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he glanced over at the prince. "Talking about last night?"

The prince let out an exasperated sigh before putting a hand to his head. "Yeah…"

"Anyways," Kenta started. "There is a meeting being held in the discussion room about last night."

"Great, just what I need right now," The prince groaned while rubbing his temples, feeling an oncoming headache.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Kenta asked in concern as the prince frowned.

"Do I have a choice?"

Kenta gave him a small smile before placing a hand on his shoulder stay strong, your Highness."

The prince stared at him for a moment before groaning in annoyance. "You know I hate it when you do that."

"Eh?" Kenta said with a confused, yet blank, look on his face, causing the prince to look at him like he was an idiot.

"Just call me by my name when we're alone. Please, I can't stand being called by a title all the time. Besides, we've known each other for how many years? Ten?"

"Actually, about twelve," Kenta corrected.

"Exactly. Now, please."

Seeing as the prince would not be swayed, he gave in, deciding that if it would make him happy, he'd oblige.

"Sure…Syaoran."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Phew! Thank goodness I sent a copy of this to my friend to look over. Anyways, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please Review!**

****_Characters:_

_Antauri  
Original show: Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!_

_Aslan__  
Age: 28  
Original game: Tales of the Abyss_

_Van  
Age: 27  
Original game: Tales of the Abyss_

_Kiku (Japan)  
Age: 25  
Original anime: Hetalia Axis Powers_

_Raine  
Age: 23  
Original game: Tales of Symphonia_

_Syaoran  
Age: 14  
Original anime: Cardcaptor Sakura_


	6. Weakened

Sorry it took so long, but with school and writer's block...you get the point. But now that I am on Summer break, hopefully I can get more chapters in quicker, though I make no promises. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters**

**Chapter 5: Weakened  
**

Over the course of a week, Moon Kingdom had attacked with such vigor and persistence leaving Star Kingdom completely exhausted and vulnerable. They had started sending warriors to the front lines, easily overtaking the knights that were sent into battle.

The Oracle Organization could do nothing, as their overseer was still missing. There were also little to no leads to what might have happened to neutral character.

Attacks would always occur along the border towns, causing the kingdom to call an evacuation for those in that area.

Sakura had asked Toya if she could possibly do anything to help, but was always shrugged off.

She could tell that the constant attacks were weighing heavily on everyone's minds. Roderich had even canceled classes as his assistance was needed elsewhere.

However, the one who was the most stressed through the whole ordeal was her brother.

Sakura couldn't recall whether or not Toya had slept during the nights. He always seemed so restless and stressed; Sakura grew more and more worried for her brother's health.

Many people had come up to him daily complaining about the situation, putting even more stress upon his shoulders.

Finally, Toya succumbed to his exhaustion and came down with an intense fever. Sakura was greatly troubled about it even after being reassured that his life was not in any danger. Everyday, Sakura would sit by her brother's side, helping him in any way that she could.

Estelle, a novice in the medical care for the palace, always accepted Sakura's help with a grateful smile, as she too was being overworked.

While the prince was confined to the medical room, Roderich took it upon himself to tend to the prince's tasks along with his other duties.

Though she was relieved to not have to sit through classes, Sakura was worried for her instructor. He seemed to have developed heavy, dark bags under his eyes and was always tired and weary whenever Sakura saw him.

Wanting her to get out of such a tense atmosphere, Tomoyo and Marina were able to convince Aslan in allowing them to take Sakura out.

Knowing that Roderich and Toya would never allow this, they didn't bother asking them. Though they were too busy to really have a say in the matter.

At first, Sakura was hesitant to leave the comfort and safety of the palace since the attack at the Lhant mansion.

Tomoyo and Marina practically had to drag Sakura out of the mansion as Aslan just waved, telling them to be careful.

When they first arrived in town, Sakura was very wary of her surroundings, holding onto Tomoyo for assurance.

Making sure that Sakura's identity was kept secret, she was to wear casual clothing that Tomoyo herself made for her for the occasion.

After seeing how easy going the townsfolk were and the beautiful scenery, Sakura eventually was able to enjoy herself much to both Marina and Tomoyo's relief.

Sakura especially enjoyed the tour of the farmer's market, seeing all of the fresh produce and interesting objects ready to be sold.

The atmosphere in town was much different from the palace. Everyone seemed to be more laidback as opposed to the strict and high-strung residents in the palace. Though Sakura felt as if she was comparing the town's folk to Roderich and Toya rather than the people in the palace as a whole.

However, Sakura had only interacted with a select few, still unfamiliar with the majority of those in the palace despite having lived there for fourteen years.

She somewhat found it more attractive to live in town rather than the palace. Sure it was hard work, but it was a fulfilling lifestyle. But after thinking about it a little longer, Sakura realized if it wasn't for the kingdom, the townsfolk might not be able to live with such a carefree manner. This caused her to feel inspired to do her best to continue to protect the people of her kingdom.

Too many lives were lost already and Sakura was more than prepared to do whatever it took to defeat Moon Kingdom for their sake.

The thought of Moon Kingdom caused her to immediately think back to the prince, whom she had met the night of the first attack. Though he was her enemy, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards the young ruler. If what he said to her was true, he and Sakura had many things in common with one another.

However, Sakura wasn't sure if she could trust him, considering all the recent attacks.

There was just something about the amber-eyed prince that sparked her curiosity. For one moment, she could have sworn that there was slight guilt in his gaze.

A couple of children ran by, shouting and laughing with giant smiles on their faces, which snapped Sakura out of her thoughts.

"Sakura-chan, are you all right?" Tomoyo asked, noticing her expression.

Sakura quickly shook her head and responded meekly, "O-Of course! They just surprised me is all."

She glanced over at Marina and noticed several bandages on her arms and legs, a few covering her face. It shocked Sakura that she had not noticed her injuries until now. Though today was the first time she had seen Marina since the masked ball. But even then, she still did not recall how serious her wounds were.

"Marina-chan…are you sure you should be out with those injuries?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

Marina looked at her in surprise before giving her a bright smile. "Don't worry, I may have gotten a few cuts and bruises, but I'm still ready to fight when the time calls for it."

Tomoyo giggled, as Sakura couldn't help but smile at her friend's determination and pride.

Now that she thought about it, Sakura realized how similar Marina is to Black Star. Both had come from the infamous band of assassins, Star Clan, and both were very upbeat and confident in their abilities.

Not only did they share similar personality traits, but also physical characteristics. They both sported spiky blue hair, though they were different shades. Their eye colors also shared the same hue of green. However, Black Star was relatively darker in skin color compared to Marina.

Sakura could have sworn that the two were related, though Marina and Black Star would always dodge the question for whatever reasons they had.

However, Sakura had a feeling that they were just trying to purposefully confuse everyone just for fun. She wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.

A soft breeze blew through her hair, causing her to look up at the clear blue sky.

As she gazed up at the sky, she suddenly spotted a figure flying through the skies overhead.

At first, Sakura didn't think too much about it, thinking that it was just one of the local flying Guardians.

"Your highness, what are you-" Marina started before she caught sight of the figure Sakura was looking at.

"What is that?" Tomoyo asked following her gaze, seeing the white Guardian flying through the sky. "Oh, I didn't know we had a white flying Guardian."

Marina's eyes suddenly widened in alarm as a bead of sweat slipped down the side of her face. "We don't…"

As if the figure realized it had been spotted, powerful blasts of energy came raining down on the town.

All of the townspeople ran in a panic, trying desperately to get out of town while avoiding getting hit by the blasts.

Sakura let out a cry of alarm as the winged Guardian shot towards them.

Marina quickly drove both Sakura and Tomoyo to the ground, just narrowly avoiding collision with the flying Guardian as it flew right over them.

It quickly turned around to face them, peering down at them with piercing red eyes.

Fear gripped Sakura as she felt her whole body tremble as the Guardian's eyes bore down on her.

Before the Guardian could react, a sudden barrel came flying straight at it, crashing into it with tremendous force.

The Guardian was sent hurtling into a nearby building causing it to collapse on top of it.

Sakura glanced over and was surprised to see an anthropomorphic hedgehog with silver armor.

"Silver-chan!" Sakura cried as Silver quickly rushed towards the girls.

"Are you all right?" Silver asked as he helped Sakura back up while Marina helped Tomoyo.

Sakura nodded before she heard the Guardian moving amongst the rubble behind them.

Acting quickly, Silver stood in front of the girls protectively while his hand glowed with green, psychic energy.

The Guardian spread out its wings, flinging the rubble and dirt from its white armored body. It glared at Silver before growling threateningly at him.

Silver narrowed his golden eyes while slowly picking up several more objects with his psychokinetic powers.

"I knew you were rash, but I wouldn't expect you to stoop this low, juuka." Silver said.

The Guardian didn't respond and flexed its sharp claws before darting towards Silver with amazing speed.

"Take this!" Silver cried as he flung the objects at the winged Guardian, creating a large dust cloud to envelope it.

After a moment, the Guardian emerged from the cloud of dust and tackled Silver, slamming him into a nearby stand.

"Oh no, Silver! Tomoyo, get Sakura out of here and get help!" Marina cried before rushing towards her comrade.

Tomoyo nodded before quickly ushering Sakura back towards the palace. Sakura glanced worriedly back at Marina, not wanting to leave her friends behind to fight.

Before Marina could reach Silver, she heard several more cries behind her followed by an explosion.

Marina whirled around just as a giant gust of wind rushed past her, nearly knocking her off her feet.

Once the wind died down, a cat-like being stepped out. It had white fur and a single black sickle sticking out of he right side of its head.

"Great, now they're sending Guardians," Marina said with a slight bite in her tone as she got out her retractable staff.

* * *

As Sakura and Tomoyo hurried back to the palace, Sakura couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for leaving her friends to fight.

It made her feel completely useless. What good is a princess that can do nothing to help her kingdom?

"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked, noticing the look of distress on her friend's face.

They slowly came to a stop as Sakura glanced back over her shoulder towards where her friends were fighting.

"I'm going back." Sakura said.

Tomoyo widened her eyes in shock before shaking her head furiously.

"Sakura-chan, it's too dangerous!"

"Exactly why I can't just leave them behind to fight alone." Sakura said before running, leaving Tomoyo no time to stop her.

Several people ran past her in a fit of panic, though Sakura still had her mind set on helping her friends.

'I'm going to help them this time.' Sakura said to herself as determination shone through her emerald green eyes.

* * *

"Why is it that they always choose to attack when we're taking the princess out to attack?" Marina muttered under her breath as she and Silver backed against each other.

Absol and the winged Guardian who were now accompanied by several Moon Kingdom knights surrounding the two.

Both Marina and Silver were exhausted from the ongoing battle and were worried about how long they would be able to keep it up.

"This…doesn't look so good." Silver said as an annoyed expression came over Marina's face

"Gee, you think? Anyways, can't you just blow them away with that psychic power of yours?" Marina asked as Silver let out a sigh.

"It's psychokinesis and I've already used up too much of my power already. If I use anymore, I'll just exhaust myself." Silver said narrowing his eyes while gripping his sword tighter.

Absol smirked as it and the other Moon Kingdom warriors closed in around the two Star Kingdom warriors.

Suddenly, someone came rushing out and struck the winged Guardian on the back of the head with a metal bar.

This left the Guardian in a state of shock for a moment. However it quickly recovered and glared over at the foolish person who dared to attack from behind.

"Oh…This plan seemed to go better in my head…"

Marina and Silver stared with dumbfounded expressions at the princess who had recklessly tried to take down a Guardian with a metal bar and failed.

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING! WE TOLD YOU TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Silver shouted as Marina slapped a hand over her face in dismay.

Sakura was hesitant to respond at first, but quickly shook her head. "I can't just leave knowing you're fighting alone!"

Silver muttered swears under his breath as the winged Guardian turned around to face the defenseless Star Kingdom princess.

A shiver ran down Sakura's spine as the Guardian glared down at her while letting out a low growl.

Sakura took a few steps backwards while all of the Moon Kingdom warriors turned their attention way from the others and onto her.

"I-I don't think I thought this through very well…" Sakura said before letting out a squeak when her back hit the wall.

Seeing their chance, Silver and Marina charged towards the group of Moon Kingdom knights.

Before they could react to the attack, they were quickly knocked out by Marina and Silver's expert combat skills leaving the two Guardians.

"Looks like it's just between you and us again." Silver said in a confidant tone, though there was also a bit of weariness as well.

The two Guardians stared at them with indifference before Absol turned to face them once more.

"So it seems," Absol said darkly before jumping high in the air and releasing a slash of dark energy from the growth on the side of its head.

Marina and Silver darted out of the way, though Marina tripped and hit the ground hard.

A painful jolt went through arm from her previous wounds, causing her to wince in pain.

Sakura's eyes trembled. Her friends were getting hurt, and yet she still could do nothing to help them. She had been sheltered for too long and now she couldn't even defend them much less herself.

Silver quickly came to Marina's aid and did his best to fend off Absol's attacks with the little energy he had left.

A sudden movement caught Sakura's eye, causing her to realize that the winged Guardian was still there.

The Guardian's claw slammed into the wall just beside Sakura's head, punching right through the thick surface. Sakura could only stare at the Guardian in fright, paralyzed in place.

"Sakura-" Marina was interrupted by another attack from Absol, sending both she and Silver flying backwards from the impact.

Slowly, the Guardian leaned in close to Sakura as she started trembling uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry…"

Sakura widened her eyes in shock before the Guardian violently pulled its claw from the wall, causing it to collapse on top of Sakura.

"NOOOO!" Silver cried as he desperately raced towards Sakura but was struck in the back by Absol's attack.

Silver collapsed in a heap, unconscious, as the winged Guardian strode past him.

It stopped in front of Marina and grabbed her by one of her pigtails, yanking her up. She let out a cry before the Guardian drove its knee into Marina's stomach.

Marina let out a gasp before falling unconscious as well and fell to the ground.

Off in the distance, the two Moon Kingdom Guardians could hear the Star Kingdom knights approaching in a large group.

The winged Guardian glanced from Marina to Silver before over at Absol.

Absol motioned towards Marina and headed back in the direction of Moon Kingdom.

As the winged Guardian picked Marina up and hulled her over its shoulder, it glanced over at the pile of rubble where it had buried Sakura.

Guilt was briefly shown in its crimson red eyes, but was gone the next instant before it took off into the skies towards Moon Kingdom.

**To be continued...**

* * *

This chapter was hard to come up with, but here it is. Sorry if I made Sakura look like a wimp, but I guess that is to be expected when you've been sheltered all your life. She'll get better, don't worry. Please Review!

_Characters:_

_Estelle  
Age: 18  
Original game: Tales of Vesperia  
_

Silver_  
Age: 14  
Original series: Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Absol  
Original series: Pokemon  
_


	7. Unexpected

Okay, I have stupidly deleted the fifth chapter. This isn't the first time I did something that stupid as it has happened in another story of mine. =_= Hopefully I can retype that one out soon, since for some reason did not save a copy of it. Here's the next chapter anyways. Enjoy!**  
**

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters**

**Chapter 6: Unexpected**

"…What do we do with her?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Just throw her in a cell until our demands are met."

Marina could hear several voices she didn't recognize around her. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find herself in a brightly lit room.

'Where…where am I…?' Marina said to herself hazily.

Her sight was still fogged from having them closed for so long and had a hard time deciphering the things around her.

Several shadows fell over her, though the light prevented her from identifying the strangers.

"Look, you guys woke up the little lady with all your obnoxious voices!"

"If anyone is obnoxious, it's you, Den."

"Che, now that's just cold, Hyubie."

"Don't call me that!"

"_Kids_, break it up already."

Marina knew she wasn't in the Star Kingdom palace, since she did not recognize any of the voices.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she was able to make out the figures that were surrounding her.

The first figure she was able to identify was a human boy with choppy brown hair. He wore an unreadable, nearly blank, expression and had noticeably thick eyebrows.

Beside him was a humanoid black panther-like Guardian with a gruff and intimidating appearance. The third stranger was a human male with short but wild blond hair and wore a cocky grin.

Marina then glanced to the fourth person and immediately recognized him as someone she met, but couldn't quite figure out who exactly.

Her thoughts were interrupted however when the Guardian yanked her up by back of her shirt, lifting her off the ground.

When Marina tried to move, she realized she couldn't. She glanced down and saw that her arms and legs were bound by rope.

"Looks like we have no choice but to keep her in the prison cell," the Guardian said. "She'll be troublesome otherwise."

The other three nodded solemnly before turning around to attend to their duties.

As Marina watched them go, a memory suddenly flashed in her mind. A small child was being led away by the hand by his father out of the palace, out of the kingdom. The child had his head down while his shoulders sagged. A couple tears escaped from the child's eyes and hit the ground before him.

"Hubert!" Marina cried as the said warrior suddenly halted. "It's you…isn't it?"

The other warriors stopped and glanced over at the blue-haired, bespectacled male, who glanced slightly over to the side.

"Don't you remember me? It's me, Marina! We used to play with each other in the village along with Black Star and As-"

"**No,**" Hubert said rather coldly, his glasses flashing before continuing on his way. "I don't know who you are referring to."

* * *

"Ouch!"

"I apologize your highness, but please try to refrain from moving so much." Estelle said while gently placing her hand over Sakura's injured arm.

A little after Sakura had been buried by the white Guardian, several knights had come from Tomoyo's beckoning. They had quickly dug her out of the rubble and hurried her back to the palace for medical attention. Luckily, her life was not in danger, but had suffered several broken bones.

A green light shone brightly from the gem that was imbedded in her bracelet. The light glow slowly dimmed soon afterwards, seemingly being absorbed into Sakura's body. Sakura felt a tremendous relief wash over her, taking her wounds with it. Estelle's shoulders sagged in exhaustion while taking a couple deep breaths.

Healing artes were definitely a necessity, especially during a war. They allowed healing in mere moments with just a flash of light. Sakura never really understood how they worked, but this fact didn't make them any less amazing. However, the use of artes drains quite a bit of energy from the user so that they must be used sparingly. Especially healing artes, which requires more energy than regular artes, leaving the user almost completely drained.

"Thank you." Sakura said with a grateful smile.

Estelle smiled in return and shook her head before patting Sakura on the head. "I'm just glad you're okay. You're lucky that the knights found you and Silver before it was too late. Now, just get some rest."

"Ah-!" Sakura said as Estelle made her way towards the door. "Please, don't tell Roderich-sensei or my brother about this."

The novice nurse just smiled before closing the door behind her, causing a cloud of doom to loom over Sakura. She knew that Estelle would have to tell them considering her injuries. And no doubt that yet another attack from Moon kingdom could go unnoticed.

Sakura let out a small sigh remembering the attack. She had been absolutely careless and now Marina had been taken hostage by the enemy. Tears formed at the edges of her eyelids before pulling her legs to her chest. Marina was gone because she couldn't fight…she couldn't do anything. Her brother had even sent Silver to keep an eye on her because he knew she wouldn't be able to defend herself.

A stray tear rolled down her cheek, which was quickly wiped away. All she could do was watch as her friends got hurt, unable to help them.

That's when a thought struck her. She was through being the damsel in distress or the helpless standby. As quietly possible, Sakura slowly opened the door to her room and tiptoed out, making sure no one was around to see her.

She quickly darted down the hall but when she rounded the corner, she slammed into something hard and metallic.

The impact sent her falling to the ground as she let out a squeak of pain.

"Ah! Sorry your highness!"

Sakura looked up to see a gunmetal-colored steel suit of armor standing in front of her.

"Alphonse-chan?" Sakura said in surprise looking up at her childhood friend before she heard someone come up behind her.

"Can't sit still to save your life, can you?" a boy with messy blonde-brown hair and narrow brown eyes said.

He wore a sarcastic smirk and had his hands shoved in his pockets causing Alphonse to sigh.

"Brother, at least try and act nicer towards her highness."

"It's okay, I'm used to Hiro-chan's rude remarks." Sakura said with a sweatdrop as Alphonse politely helped her back up to her feet.

Hiro and Alphonse were fraternal twins with Hiro being a couple hours older than Alphonse. Their voices sound exactly the same, however you can always tell who is talking due to their different tones. Alphonse always talks with a polite tone while Hiro has a bit of bitterness and sarcasm to his. For some odd reason, Alphonse world always wear a suit of armor no matter where or what he was doing.

Sakura couldn't even remember the last time she saw his actual face. Unlike Hiro, Alphonse had short dirty blond hair but shared his brother's brown eyes. Whenever she asked him about it, Alphonse would always give her a weak and nervous excuse. However the thing that confused her the most was the great height difference between the two. Alphonse stood nearly three feet over Hiro, which he passed off as an early growth spurt.

"Where do you think you were running off to in such a hurry?" Hiro asked as Alponse added, "And aren't you supposed to be resting?"

Sakura didn't respond at first as the two exchanged confused glances. She desperately tried to think of a reasonable explanation that wouldn't conjure any suspicions.

"Ah!" Sakura said suddenly getting an idea, causing the twins to flinch. "I'm actually looking for your cousin. I wanted to ask her a question."

Hiro and Alphonse's cousin, Elizabeta was actually not blood related to them in anyway but was adopted by their uncle after she lost her parents during the war. However, she acts like a big sister to them, having watched over them since they were little.

"Huh? You're looking for Lizzie? That's a first," Hiro said folding his arms, eyeing Sakura curiously. "What do you need to ask her about that's so important anyways?"

"Uh…" Sakura said while furiously wracking her brain for yet another excuse. A picture of a very angry Roderich suddenly crossed her mind, causing her to inwardly cringe. "I need help with how to deal with Roderich-sensei when he's overly stressed and angry. And she's the only one who is able to calm him down in those situations. If I don't find her soon, Roderich-sensei is going to murder me for what happened!"

Alphonse lightly chuckled as Hiro let out a sigh of defeat while running a hand through his hair.

Though Roderich was very calm and composed most of the time, making him mad absolutely terrified her, especially when he was not in a good mood to begin with. Black Star was usually the one on the receiving end of Roderich's wrath, though he deserved it most of the time. Sakura remembered how Black Star had attempted to steal Roderich's music sheets. However, the boy was much too loud and Roderich had violently put an end to the boy's heist.

Elizabeta is a good friend of Roderich's and the only one who can calm the bespectacled man down when he was in a bad mood. Sakura can tell they have a mutual understanding of one another, having known each other since they were kids. Roderich himself actually lacked in the friend department and was only close to a chosen few.

Tomoyo had explained to her that Roderich seemed to have trust issues, which explained why he would play the piano rather than socializing with others. Sakura was surprised by this information, as she never would have suspected her mentor of such.

Despite this, Elizabeta somehow was able to overcome his distrust towards others, if not completely, and be closer to him than anyone else. Not that Roderich or Elizabeta would ever admit to it.

"Yeah, that guy really needs to take a hint or something." Hiro said exasperatedly.

"Hoe?" Sakura said with a quizzical expression.

Hiro merely waved a hand at her. "Nevermind. Anyways, unfortunately for you, she's probably with specs, cleaning his already spotless office."

* * *

Marina let out a cry as she was thrown into a cell, the sound the iron bars slamming together rung in her ears soon after.

She looked up to see the humanoid panther-like Guardian stare at her for a moment before making its way towards the exit.

Just as the Guardian was about to leave, three figures appeared at the doorway. The Guardian dipped its head in respect, allowing the three to pass by.

When they reached Marina's cell, Marina realized it was the Moon Kingdom prince. She also recognized the boy beside him as the one she fought at the Lhant mansion along with the blue, dog-like Guardian.

"What do you want with me?" Marina demanded.

Syaoran didn't answer and stared down at her with a cold and unfeeling gaze.

Marina shrank back slightly before gulping, wondering what was going to happen to her now that she was a prisoner.

"You will remain our prisoner until our demands are met. You will not be harmed as long as you abide by our rules, I promise you that." Syaoran said.

"What do you have in mind?" Marina asked slowly.

Syaoran turned to Lucario who bowed and took a step forward. "Star Kingdom will surrender its territory in the South as well as the North to Moon Kingdom,"

Marina glared at the Guardian defiantly, unable to believe that Moon Kingdom would even think that Star Kingdom would give up all that territory.

"That demand is just plain outrageous! There's no way we'll just give up all that land we've gained over the years without a fight!"

The prince let out a grunt of annoyance before walking away. "Well, then it seems you will be here for a while, won't it?"

Lucario let out a huff before following after the prince.

Once the two exited the prison, Kenta let out an exhausted sigh before pulling up a chair up to the wall across from Marina's cell.

He leaned back against the wall and placed his arms behind his head before closing his eyes. From the looks of it, Marina figured that the boy must have been appointed as her warden.

She sent him a heated glare, though the boy seemed to ignore her fiery look and carried on with his rest. Giving up, Marina leaned against the cold wall of her cell. She tried her best to suppress a shiver from the chilly air of the prison, causing her whole body to throb.

Though the prince had promised that no harm would come to her, she couldn't help but feel wary. He was her enemy, there was no way she could trust his words.

The prison was much too quiet, grating on Marina's nerves who preferred a more lively atmosphere.

'I don't understand how Roddy can go hours without noise in his stuffy little office.' Marina thought to herself with an exasperated sigh.

Thinking about Roderich immediately caused her mind to drift back to Hubert, possibly due to the glasses. She knew it had to be Hubert. He had the same short blue hair he did back then along with his notably pale skin.

However, he was much colder than she recalled. Marina didn't know him too well, as he was a few years older than her and had played with him only a couple times. But from what she could remember of him, he was such a timid little boy who would always follow his older brother. Unfortunately, after an event that caused many deaths, Hubert's father decided it would be best to keep him away from his brother. That was the last time Marina saw the boy before he was forcefully escorted out of the Kingdom and into the hands of the enemy.

'Moon Kingdom changed him…' Marina realized and was puzzled by Hubert's father's reasons for allowing his son to become part of such a ruthless Kingdom.

As she grew up, Marina had always been told how cold and merciless those from Moon Kingdom were. From what she had encountered, she believed it. All the warriors and knights from Moon Kingdom had guarded expressions, preventing a sliver of emotion to escape onto their faces. Marina could hardly even call them human by the way they would attack innocent villages and towns without any remorse.

As she tried to get more comfortable, as comfortable she could get in an ice-cold cell, she accidentally slipped and landed painfully on the ground.

A sharp pain shot up her arm from a wound that she acquired during the fight with the two Moon Kingdom Guardians. Marina let out a faint cry, but just loud enough for Kenta to hear. He lazily opened one eye to see her wincing in pain.

Wordlessly, Kenta got up from his chair and walked over to the cell door. Marina glanced up at him to see what he was doing. To her bewilderment, he unlocked the cell and closed it behind him before advancing towards her.

He wore the same guarded look all the Moon Kingdom warriors had and Marina feared what he had in mind.

'Oh no…' She immediately looked away, terrified of what fate may fall upon her.

She felt him grip her shoulder and before she could react, she found herself sitting upright again.

Kenta examined her silently for a moment, causing Marina's face to turn a light shade of red. After a while, he reached out and touched her leg, evoking a violent reaction from Marina.

Letting out a shriek, Marina desperately tried to get away from him.

"PERVERT!"

"H-Hey! Calm down! I was only trying to help! Your leg is hurt!" Kenta said, trying his best to be patient.

Marina paused momentarily and looked down to see her knee swelling. She realized this must have happened during the battle in Star Kingdom.

Heaving a sigh, Kenta stood up and exited the cell, only to return a few minutes later with an icepack and a roll of bandages.

He then sat down across from her and gently placed the icepack onto her swelled knee. Marina immediately winced at the chilling sting of the ice while Kenta started wrapping the icepack around her leg.

"This will help the swelling go down." Kenta said with an unreadable expression.

Marina was struck speechless. Her _enemy _was _helping _her. She just couldn't wrap her head around such a thing.

"Why…?" Marina said in such a small whisper that Kenta was barely able to catch her voice.

"Hm?"

"Why…why are you helping me?" Marina asked, avoiding eye contact.

Kenta widened his eyes briefly in surprise before a serious expression took its place. "I can't ignore someone who's injured, especially when they're right in front of me."

Marina's voice caught in her throat. Never had she expected someone from Moon Kingdom to have such compassion for others. They had always done everything out of self-interest out of pride.

Realizing that there had to be more than what the boy let on, Marina glared at him once more.

"Just because you're helping me, doesn't mean I trust you."

Another exasperated sigh escaped from Kenta's lips. "Do as you like."

* * *

Black Star was restlessly walking back and forth in the main room as Antauri watched him.

"I can't believe these idiots are doing nothing to help Marina!" Black Star shouted causing a few servants to glance over at him curiously.

Antauri let out a sigh before crossing his arms over his chest. "Black Star, please. The kingdom is doing its best to decide what to do at this time. If we were to rush into things, the situation could worsen."

Black star gritted his teeth, his fists shaking slightly at his sides. A part of him knew his partner was right, but he refused to acknowledge it. Marina was in danger and had to be rescued as soon as possible. He had even gone up to several officials, telling them that they should be focusing on bringing Marina back. Most just laughed at him and carried on with their duties. Others just ignored his request, telling him they didn't have time. Antauri had to restrain the boy from launching himself at them.

"Peh, I bet they're all just delaying the rescue because she's Star Clan…"

Before Antauri could scold him for saying such things, Black Star took in a deep breath before shouting his trademark yahoo. By this point, many servants and maids had stopped what they were doing to see what the boy was up to.

"YEAH! Don't worry, Marina! The big man is coming to rescue you!" Black Star announced before making his way towards the window.

Without thinking, Black Star jumped through the window with a loud crash, sending broken shards of glass flying across the soft grass outside.

He looked towards the horizon, seeing a storm make its way towards the Star Kingdom lands. A pre-storm warning breeze swept past him as he tightened his fists.

"Black Star! What in blazes are you doing?" Antauri demanded as Black Star merely smirked.

"I can't just sit around while my buddy is locked away by those Moon Kingdom goons. It's my time to shine and show those low lives never to mess with my friends." Black Star bantered before dashing off towards the gates of the palace.

His intentions were good at heart, but heading into enemy territory without thinking things through was risky. It could also possibly cause an even worse situation.

The maids and servants were now frantically gathering at the broken window, demanding to know what happened and if it was another attack. Antauri reassured them it was just Black Star being…well, Black Star. They scowled at his answer, but knew there was nothing they could do about it now and quickly called for a repair.

Antauri knew it was impossible to change Black Star's mind. Once he set his mind on something, there was nothing anyone could do to deter him. Deciding it was best to keep an eye on the boy, the black, cybernetic monkey hesitantly followed. He had to act fast as Black Star had a pretty good head start on him.

Running on all fours, Antauri dashed off in the direction of Moon Kingdom, hoping to catch up with the spiky haired teen.

'I just pray that everything will turn out all right…'

* * *

Sakura swallowed nervously while standing outside of Roderich's office. After Hiro had informed her that Elizabeta was with Roderich, Sakura's hopes of talking to her in private had disappeared in an instant. Especially without Roderich becoming suspicious of her intentions. She hoped that Roderich was out of the office, attending to his other duties. Heaving a sigh, Sakura knew it was highly unlikely, as he hasn't left the office since her brother had fallen ill.

However, Sakura couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk to her. If she didn't talk to the woman now, they she never would be able to after her brother finds out about what had happened. She didn't doubt that her brother would issue higher guard on her and would never let her out of the palace.

Living inside the palace for fourteen years, unable to go outside, was suffocating. She couldn't stand having to watch others suffer around her while she does nothing. It was time that she proved to her brother; to everyone that she could carry herself like a true princess.

Hesitantly, she pushed open the door to her teacher's office. She desperately hoped that Roderich was in a good mood. Considering all the stress that was placed on him, that was also highly unlikely.

The door let out a low creek as it was slowly pushed opened. Sakura peaked through the crack and saw piles of books scattered around the room.

When she didn't hear anyone object to her intrusion, she anxiously took a step into the room.

The room was as tidy as Hiro had said, except for a couple stray papers. Several bookshelves were lined against the wall, leaving Sakura to wonder if Roderich really had any time to read them all. In the middle of the room there was also a small couch with a lamp dimly lit standing beside it. A thin layer of dust had settled on top of most of the furniture in the office, showing how no one but Roderich had been here for the past few days.

Over to the side, Sakura spotted her mentor bending over his desk. Piles of papers were stacked around him, as if they were caging him in. She flinched at the sight, surprised he did not say anything upon her intrusion.

"Your highness?"

Sakura felt her heart nearly fly out of her chest upon hearing someone call her from behind. She however was able to hold it down and slowly looked over her shoulder to see a woman with long, wavy brown hair. She had vibrant green eyes and wore an orange flower clip in her hair.

"E-Elizabeta-san," Sakura stammered in a hoarse whisper, trying to settle her rapidly beating heart.

The woman lifted an eyebrow at her as Sakura tried to find her words. Before Sakura could form an excuse, Roderich suddenly shifted in his seat, causing Sakura to squeal in shock.

However, she heard him sigh faintly before he settled back down, much to her confusion.

A soft smile appeared on Elizabeta's face before she walked over and placed a blanket that she had been carrying over Roderich's shoulders.

"Hoe?" Sakura said as Elizabeta put a finger in front of her lips, signaling for her to remain silent.

Upon closer inspection, Sakura realized her mentor was fast asleep. His glasses were askew on his face, close to falling off and his mouth was open slightly, taking in small, relaxing breaths. Asleep, Roderich looked to be a completely different person. His eyebrows were not knotted and his posture was relaxed, allowing himself to be comfortable. He looked to be in such bliss that Sakura couldn't help but smile at the sight. Roderich had been working hours on end and Sakura was relieved that he was able to get just a bit of rest, if not a lot.

Sakura glanced over at Elizabeta and was surprised to see such a soft expression reflecting from her eyes as she gazed down at the sleeping man. There was something in the woman's emerald, green eyes that Sakura couldn't understand. But before she could question it, Elizabeta turned to her and quickly ushered her out of the room to let the exhausted man rest.

Once outside, Elizabeta put her hands on her hips and gave Sakura a questionable look.

"Now, what were you doing in there? You know that Mr. Roderich has been overworked lately," Elizabeta said in a scolding manner, causing Sakura to shy away slightly.

"And what have I told you about calling me 'Elizabeta-san?' I've watched you and your brother grow up since you were small, you don't need to refer to me with such formality. Just call me Eliza."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle before blushing slightly in embarrassment. "R-Right, sorry."

Once Sakura was done apologizing, she gave Elizabeta an expression that surprised the woman. She was more than familiar with the look, as she had the same look when she was younger. Determination.

An amused look came over Elizabeta's features as she waited patiently what Sakura had to say.

"Eliza-san, I want to learn how to fight."

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Sorry for the delay, but my summer has been busy. Working really takes a chunk of your time. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter, this one was particularly difficult for me to write. I think I like Roderich too much as I took a lot of time to describe him. I'm just a sucker for megane characters. X3 Why did I make Alphonse and Hiro twins? Well, it's most likely due they shared the same voice actor at the time. I dunno, I just get these weird ideas. Please Review!**

_Characters:_

_Hubert  
Age: 17  
Original game: Tales of Graces_

_Alphonse  
Age: 12  
Original anime: Fullmetal Alchemist_

_Hiro  
Age: 12  
Original anime: Fruits Basket_

_Elizabeta  
Age: 28  
Original anime: Hetalia Axis Powers  
_


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